1 in 5 bosses regularly steals ideas of their employees (and they all admit they've done it at least once)

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That moment your boss steals your idea and passes it off as his own... don't worry, you're not alone – they do it to pretty much everyone.

In a poll of 1,000 workers, one in five bosses admitted to regularly stealing employees' ideas, with every single one of them owning up to have done it at least once.

In even worse news for British workers, 46 per cent of people said that their ideas had been stolen by colleagues to make themselves look better.

The figures were found through a poll of 1,000 managers and staff conducted by Andy Harrington, a public speaking coach from Kent, to find the causes of low morale in the workplace.

They paint a picture of distrust and low levels of job satisfaction in Britain's workplaces.

Around 69 per cent of the 1,000 people interviewed said they "regularly" felt like quitting their job, with almost all respondents adding that they felt this way occasionally.

Harrington said: "The results of this survey indicate that a significant proportion of the UK workforce feels undervalued in their jobs."

“Given that so many people are not receiving the credit for their own ideas — and that their co-workers and managers are benefiting from those ideas — this is not a surprise.”

However, it's not all bad news for business - despite worrying that their ideas will be stolen and wanting to quit their job, the poll found that 74 per cent of respondents said they went "over and above what's necessary" in their work, with only 9 per cent admitting to doing the bare minimum amount of work.

However, given that the survey was self-reporting, it is quite possible that workers gave an inflated account of their work ethic.

All respondents said they felt undervalued at work to some degree, with the survey suggesting that this leads to a toxic office environment.

A third said this undervaluing made them feel "angry or bitter" towards their boss, and 95 per cent said it has or may prevent them from giving it their all in the future.

Harrington said that many workers may just be missing the pat on the back that they feel they deserve.

He continued: “The knock-on effect is that employees become increasingly reluctant to part with good ideas and less engaged and passionate about their jobs — a vicious cycle which, ironically, is no good for business and could lead to underperforming middle-managers losing their jobs.”

Have your managers or colleagues ever stolen your ideas? Have you stolen theirs? How did it make you feel? Let us know in the comments below.